Unwanted Surprises
by Riptide90
Summary: Percy was fortunate last war. He struggled but most of the people he loved made it. Kronos was ruthless, however, Gaia was calculated. How will Percy deal with the aftermath of her plans?


Unwanted Surprises

Chapter: 1

Summary: Percy was fortunate last war. He struggled but most of the people he loved made it. Kronos was ruthless, however, Gaia was calculated. How will Percy deal with the aftermath of her plans?

Disclaimer: I don't own PJO or HOO characters and all rights go to Rick Riordan.

 **This is my first story and I'd love any comments, suggestions or reviews to help. I don't really understand the whole aspect thing, like are they in two different places at the same time or not or something else, so I'm just gonna stick to the Greek aspects. I am quite biased to Percy so most of it is going to be written in his POV**

 **I'll give you a hint; the end is** _ **so close**_ **yet so far**

 **Poseidon will snort at Zeus. Hera will glare at Zeus. Percy will squeeze her hand.**

 **Third person POV**

Two stumbling figures made their way through the pit. They clutched and supported each other. Both sustained heavy injuries but pushed on… because they had to. They had been through so much and they were so close.

Turns out monsters remember. They remember very well. They hold grudges better than Hades. Even though they had orders, they still attacked. They thirsted for revenge for _so_ long. They wanted this so badly, they risked their lives. They _needed_ revenge. They got it.

Every single monster slain by Perseus Jackson and Annabeth Chase got their revenge. They had broken bones, dislocated extremities, internal bleeding, mortal wounds, bite marks, claw scratches, curses of people past and _memories._

As the rest of the Seven and Nico looked on as they were helpless to save the couple, they naively believed nothing _too_ bad would happen. They were the strongest, smartest and bravest of any demigods alive. They were the perfect duo. Together they were unstoppable. No monster stood a chance against them. They would be _fine._

Percy started off hopeful, despite being in real, proper hell (the Underworld was a walk in a park compared to this). Despite that his eyes immediately stung, his lungs suddenly struggled to complete their simple task and his heart was gripped with undeniable, unadulterated _fear._ He had his Wise Girl. His mortal anchor. His everything. He would be _ok._

There were never really any stories of Tartarus. He thought that was decent news. Maybe it was just over-hyped? Maybe everyone was _so_ scared because it was the fear of the unknown. This was his initial thoughts. These gave him hope.

She, however, knew much better, as she always did. She knew this is where everything unholy came to die. Where even Titans had some fear. This is the end of hope, love, joy and everything that made mortal life enjoyable. This would be their end. Was she being pessimistic? Maybe. She didn't care though. She didn't have an answer, she didn't have a plan. This was a similar feeling to when she was captured by Atlas but multiplied by one hundred.

She had some consolation. She had her Seaweed Brain. She was stronger with him, smarter with him, braver with him, more confident with him, happier with him. He made her complete. Better. She thought she would be _ok_ with him.

They neared the end of their treacherous journey. They saw the Doors of Death. They were these grand doors. Fifty metres tall and twenty-five metres wide. The frame was made of bones of every monster that had been in Tartarus since its conception. The actual doors were made of a mysterious light-sapping black material which seemed to be alive. It seemed to be pushing and pulling like tides. It seemed to be alive. Similarly, to Hades' Helm, you could hear screams of agony as the tormented souls never found peace and had to relive the deaths for eternity. Normally, Thanatos would be guarding the doors. He had tremendous power as he could command the souls in the Doors to defend him or suck your soul into the door; where you would be tormented with terrible memories and grotesque scenes. No one dared attack him. In his absence it was easy to open the Doors as they _wanted_ to be open.

As Percy and Annabeth made it within ten metres of the Doors a powerful presence appeared. They had no choice but to approach with the weapons drawn barely able to stand. The presence seemed to be a man. He was wearing a magnificent pinstriped suit and a deep purple shirt with a grand oak-brown cane. He radiated power and seemed calm. He seemed to suck in light and had a cold presence. The Doors seemed to be rejoicing in his honour. Percy and Annabeth realised they stood no chance against this man after they took their first step towards him and sheathed their weapons as they approached him. Power was rolling off him in waves; it was hard to even stand in his presence and he seemed to be holding back Annabeth realized who he was before Percy.

"To who do we owe the pleasure of your meeting, Lord Tartarus" she said calmly but her eyes filled with apprehension.

He simply smiled as he appreciated the respect. He almost felt bad for what he was about to offer. He expected her to recognize him as she was a very intelligent demigod, even for a daughter of Athena.

"I come here with two deals and you can choose which one to accept, children." He said slyly not reviling much but garnering their attention. Percy didn't like to be referred to as a child. It made him feel as if he wasn't good enough to be treated as an equal. This really ticked him off and he didn't care who he was speaking to.

"What if we don't accept?" he asked in an irritated tone which earned him an elbow to the ribs from Annabeth. He couldn't help it; he was tired of being toyed around with by bored gods. They didn't deserve it.

Tartarus didn't react other than grinning. He liked that this boy wasn't so scared that he lost his balls. It also made it easier to complete his task, even though he didn't have a conscience it was nice to torture someone rude and put them in their place. "Well then you stay here forever." He said happily spreading his arms.

They couldn't stand it any longer.

"Fine" huffed Percy. "What are our options?"

Tartarus brought his hands together and said, "Either one of you stays behind and serves me as a servant for a millennium but on the surface it wont be too long as I'll teleport you back when the war starts so you don't miss the fun of the war. I'll even transport you to your ship. Or I get to torture one of you for a century and the conditions will remain the same. The other will leave here pain-free." He said in evil delight. His eyes shining with pride at his terrible plan. Well, it wasn't his plan solely but he was completing it and added his own ideas. He laughed loudly and genuinely as he saw the looks of _fear_ on their faces. He held back one crucial little bit of information which he thought would be better as a surprise.

"You sick fuck." Percy spat angrily.

This made Tartarus laugh even harder. He knew what the outcome would be. It was so obvious to him.

Annabeth heard Percy sigh and her eyes widened. She knew he had already made his choice. She knew that she couldn't ration with him. He was _too_ damn stubborn. She did try though.

"No no no no, Percy don't you even fucking dare! You're not going to just sacrifice yourself! We can do something. We can come up with a plan. We could find another way out together; the monsters are leaving to fight on the surface-" She rambled but got interrupted by Percy stepping forward.

"I wanna see her go safely before I make my choice." Percy demanded.

"Of course." He clicked his fingers and the doors opened. He clicked them again and Annabeth was transported through as the rest of the Seven arrived. They clambered around her. She ignored them. How could she focus on that when her heart was being ripped out of her chest? Her world was _crumbling._ Luke, Thalia, her dad, her brothers, Athena, Chiron, her friends, her half siblings' no one could make her feel as… _anything_ as he could. Happy, sad, disappointed, hopeful, infuriated, annoyed, frustrated, loved. She couldn't ignore him, she couldn't stand by idly and let this happen. She had to do something. Because he would. She could do something. She scrambled to her feet and ran to the doors, ignoring her broken ankle and dislocated toes. Tartarus kept the doors open. She could do something. Just as she was about to leap she noticed his smiling face. It dawned on her. She _couldn't_ do anything. Her eyes quickly swept to Percy's face. She scanned it quickly. They locked eyes.

The Doors swiftly shut.

She _failed_ him.

Her mind raced with what she could've done. She should've jumped she thought bitterly. Her friends were stunned not knowing what happened. Piper led the march to her before she sat down next to the older girl. She gave her nectar and ambrosia and wrapped Annabeth in a warm embrace. Annabeth gently started crying into her shoulder. The grief and pain of Tartarus finally reducing her to tears.

The rest of the seven stood there solemnly realizing Percy must've done something stupidly brave and heroic. After a long silence only filled with sobs they made their way up the stairs. Annabeth refused to be helped. They walked onto the Argo _II_ and for once Coach Hedge kept quiet, sensing the mood.

They had no clue what had happened but knew Annabeth would not want to speak about it for a long time. They decided they would try their best to keep her safe from any attacks as they completed their final leg of the relaxing trip.

Annabeth marched straight to her room where she promptly cried until she fell asleep. She of course had terrible nightmares.

She was visited by her least favourite entity, Tartarus. She was in a dungeon. It was dark and musty. There was a sudden piercing scream. She didn't recognize that voice. _Thank the gods_ she thought.

"Uh ah, don't thank them so quickly." Tartarus tsked.

She suddenly made her way through tens of walls before she made it into a cell or dungeon room. It was a mix. There was no toilet and no bed, however. There was just a massive table in the centre. There were straps where the tortured persons' limbs would go. There were two walls covered fully in torture instruments: mortal and immortal. Swords, knifes, spears, maces, a bucket and cloth, vials of liquid, an electric kit you name it; it was on the wall.

"He has decided to be tortured for a century." Tartarus' cold voice cut her out of her observations. He was dressed differently. He looked like a medieval executioner and had an axe strapped on his back. She shivered. "I thought you want to know since you love him and all." He said casually. "I thought you should know I had different intentions when I said that the other would be pain free. I'm gonna to harm you… personally. I put a curse on you. I won't spoil the excitement of finding out what I mean so you can mull that over for a while. I'll give you a hint; the end is _so close_ yet so far away. Your last feeling will be a squeeze. It will kill you instantly, you won't _feel_ any pain though. So I am keeping my word." He explained.

She felt light-headed. She was going to die whether she survived the war or not. She was mainly scared and infuriated. Yet comforted albeit a small part of her. She could have a resolution. Well it may not be on her own terms and she may not have done everything she wanted to do but she experienced true love. She had fought and saved friends. She had earned approval, respect and love from many people in Camp Half-Blood and on Olympus. She felt she earned her spot with the greats. Well she didn't build anything that would last for a thousand years; she had Percy's love which would last eons. She realized she didn't _need_ the extravagance in her life if she had Percy. He was beautifully unpredictable, which frustrated her at first, but he made every day memorable. He made her smile and chuckle when all she wanted to do was scream and cry. He made her heart shout for joy. Don't get her wrong she wasn't happy about the ordeal but it was better that she experienced Percy and it brought a weird peace to her heart; that she experienced perfect love.

But she shook her head and cleared her thoughts.

"Where's he?" she asked worriedly

"He's getting punished by his grandfather."

Her eyes widened in fear and realization.

"Why?" she screamed desperately. "What did we do to you? How have we angered, annoyed or hindered you in any way shape or form?" She yelled, angry tears running down her face.

Tartarus merely raised his eyebrow," You're waging war against my wife and children. Well I may not love them dearly they are still may family. Plus, they made lovely promises if I broke you too." He said shrugging.

He clicked his fingers and a beaten and battered Percy appeared. There was a 'K' carved into his chest and he was swollen past the point of recognition. His left arm was dislocated but his right ulna poked through the skin as a broken artery and destroyed veins were exposed.

Annabeth screamed in shock but still ran towards the love of her life. He couldn't speak and she didn't know what to say. She just cupped his cheeks as there was no feeling on his hands. She promised that she would get revenge on Gaia. She knew there was nothing she could do to the Primordial in question. She was far too powerful. Annabeth swore, to herself, that she would do everything in her power to prevent her from rising though.

Tartarus laughed, "Well enjoy your last moments alive, child. I'm sure you'll enjoy Elysium better anyway." Her then swung the axe he was holding and she woke up with a start.

She went to the dining room where she was greeted by everyone's widened eyes. They didn't know what to say or do. Annabeth started off by sighing. She then told them everything. The meeting with Tartarus, the deal, the dream, her fate and Percy's fate.

She attempted to steel her face and be strong but broke her façade when Piper and Hazel wrapped her in a hug while they both sobbed. The girls were weeping loudly but together. This brought her some comfort but didn't make her feel stronger.

Nico cried silently. He wasn't used the feeling. He hadn't even cried when his mother past. Ok fair enough he hadn't known what was happening but when he was told he just nodded numbly. He only cried once before. During Bianca's funeral. He felt stupid for ever wallowing in self-pity. _This_ was unfair. There was no just reason to explain why they could've had this fate. Even if there was it would still be harsh. He thought about all the times he and Percy fought. How they were angry at each other for lying or breaking promises or backstabbing each other. He felt foolish. Percy was just trying to do the right thing, all the time. He was the only person other than Hades or Hestia that tried to speak and get to know him. He tried to be a good cousin and friend while Nico just shut him out. How could Nico ever have been angry at him? While he wasn't close with Annabeth-not that any of them _tried_ to build a relationship- he still felt sorry. He thought that he had bad luck. She loses the one person she loves and goes berserk looking everywhere for him of eight long months. She finally finds him but then they're pushed into a quest deciding the fate of the world. After fighting and avoiding some brutal attacks they had relaxed as they were now on the last stretch of their journey. Only to be rudely shocked and sent on a one-way trip to hell. They get battered every step of the way only to be stopped by the Pit himself. He then tricks to them and get to torture one and curse the other. The Fates were cruel.

Leo and Frank and even Jason had idolized Percy and it was tough for them to hear and imagine him being broken down, especially in the gruesome way as Annabeth had explained. He was the most senior and experienced warrior on the ship. He was _the_ Hero of Olympus. He was the most kind, resilient, impulsive, strong, courageous, simple and the best friend anyone could ask for. He most loved person in the demigod world. He fulfilled all their expectations and then some. He was tall, like everyone said. He was stunningly brave, like everyone said. He was stupidly loyal, like everyone said. He was amazingly skilled, like everyone said. He was everything yet he didn't realize it. He had treated everyone as equals and elevated everyone with his naïve faith in people. Leo and Frank had let a few tears slip out; trying to be strong (it was something he would do). Jason looked at the ground solemnly and wiped and blinked as tears formed in his eyes. His Roman upbringing made it hard for him to express his emotions publicly.

They all stood or sat there silently. Annabeth was going to die. People from both camps were going to die. Percy would most probably die. Their stomachs were twisting and turning while their hearts fell and their voices caught in their throats.

The quest was going as perfectly as possible with no real fatalities. It was clearly being saved up to cause catastrophe. And it did. Mentally they were all scattered. Emotionally they were broken. Physically they were exhausted. Everything was looking grim. Would the world end? The camps were almost in a civil war and the gods were split in their aspects. They were hopeless. Their fire had burned out. People say when there's a will there's a way. Well, what is will rooted in? Hope obviously.

They had so much momentum. Things were looking surprisingly good. They jelled and actually became a family. They would bury the Greek-Roman rivalry. They would defeat the mighty giants and unite the camps. The seven would live happily while peace reigned. The world would be safe.

If only they weren't demigods.

After sitting in silence for eternity Jason spoke up, "We need to do something." He said with determination. "We need to unite the camps, we need to sort out the gods, we need to be strong together. We need to win."

"Yes but how Jase?" Piper asked sadly

"I have a plan: Nico you go back to camp and convince them to listen to you." Jason started

Nico interrupted, "No one will do that, they- "

"Make them. You earned their respect. If all else fails use your powers, you are stronger than you give yourself credit for." Jason said as he steeled his voice. "when they listen call us over IM. We'll convince the Romans that they must pray to the Greek aspects. This will unify the gods. We message the gods and convince them to help." Jason got a few incredulous at this comment but explained before he could be interrupted. "We tell them what we've done for them and what happened to Percy. He seems to be popular, I'm sure they'll be more willingly knowing his fate. Nep-Poseidon and Minerv-Athena will definitely help knowing what happened. Plu-Hades will definitely help his favourite daughter and son and Vest-Hestia will encourage our hope. They'll flash both camps to come fight with us. Percy would have shown up according to Tartarus. This will hopefully raise their morale and we kill those bastards."

The seven sat there shocked but impressed with the plan. Annabeth smiled and whispered her thanks. Jason was surprised and just nodded. It was late afternoon. They all had an early dinner and commemorated Percy with blue soda.

 **Well there's my first chapter. I won't be doing any polls but I will definitely take advice, suggestions and requests.**


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